Sorry that the update took longer than the one week it should have, but volleyball is starting up for me, so I have less time each week to write, and I apologize for it. So, please enjoy the continuation of Of Queens and Emperors.

Chapter 10

"Sona, how do I look?" Lelouch asked Sona, who gave him a quick once over. He was dressed in clothes that were more reminiscent of that of a military officer than the suit he had worn the day before, with a dark grey uniform that matched his eyes, and completed with silver trim. His shoulders were adorned with two white epaulettes, and he wore shining black military style boots paired with pure white gloves, giving the impression that he was a high ranking noble Devil, at least as far as his appearance went.

"You look good." She replied quickly, turning her head so that he wouldn't notice the blush that had come over her face. To tell the truth, for as serious as she was, she had always had a bit of a fantasy of marrying some great Devil knight or hero, at least when she was still young. Although her dreams had changed significantly since then, she was still rather attracted to the idea of dating a dashing young officer.

And Lelouch did a convincing job, at least in her opinion.

"Sona, doesn't he look just like the knight you've always wanted to marry?" Serafall exclaimed, having somehow stayed silent for the last few minutes while Sona and Lelouch dressed, a rather impressive feat in itself.

However, Sona was less than amused by her sister's choice of words.

"Don't bring that up!" She stammered quickly, before Lelouch could ask what was going on, although from Sona's tone, he could tell that she was clearly embarrassed.

"Oh, you're so cute when you blush like that!" Serafall cried out, hopping off of her spot on the floor and grabbing Sona from behind. She struggled, but was helpless against Serafall, who was deceptively strong, considering her appearance.

Watching his girlfriend being groped by her magical girl sister, Lelouch couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the sight before him, in spite of himself.

"Partner, are you enjoying this as much as I am?" Kohryu asked, his voice booming into Lelouch's head. Lelouch gave an appreciative nod, resulting in Kohryu laughing heartedly.

"Sona, Serafall, we're going to be leaving soon!" Lord Sitri announced as he suddenly opened the door to Sona's room, a large smile on his face.

However, as soon as he walked in and saw the sight of his two daughters seemingly being forced to touch each other by Lelouch, his expression changed more into one of exasperation than anything else.

"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting this from you, Lelouch. And you seemed like a good enough boy too." He lamented, to which Lelouch groaned.

"This isn't what it looks like." He replied, although he knew that would have no bearing on what his future father in law now thought of him.

"And now, presenting, the Sitri Clan!" A footman cried out, announcing their presence to the rest of the occupants of the dance hall.

"Thank you." Lelouch said awkwardly as two guards opened the door for him and Sona, as well as Serafall, who had latched onto his other arm, throwing the room into complete silence as they saw the couple appear before them.

Obviously, they were all in shock to see a completely unknown person acting as the date of both sisters of the Sitri Clan, who were renowned across the Underworld for their strength, intelligence, and beauty. It wasn't every day that either of the sisters were seen with a man, let alone both of them dating the same one. It had to be a surprise indeed.

Also, at the same time, Lelouch could sense a predatory aura coming from various partygoers, all of whom were powerful Devils in their own right. At the sight of a newcomer in their midst, they were likely all probing out any sort of possible weaknesses and secrets that they could take advantage of later on.

However, Lelouch kept a completely blank face and stood with a rigid posture, refusing to give them any hints as to what his identity would be and concealing his personality, at least for the time being. He had dealt with their types before in the political world, if his limited memory served him correctly, and had quickly learned that if you gave any of them even one inch, they would pounce. And so, he showed no emotion, keeping an entirely straight face as he strode forward, an air of confidence about him.

To his right, he could see Sona doing much of the same, although to a lesser extent, as she was already fairly known by most of the nobles attending the engagement party tonight. There wasn't really much for her to conceal, but for the sake of appearance, she walked alongside him with the same air of confidence, a small smile planted on her face as to appear more congenial.

However, to his right, he could see Serafall doing the complete opposite of her sister, constantly posing to show off her dress, a huge smile on her face that did not seem to be forced in the slightest. It seemed that she did genuinely enjoy being at the party, and had no concern in the slightest about showing off her personality to all of the witnesses around her. Although, being one of the strongest Devils in the Underworld, Lelouch wasn't really concerned about her safety among the aristocrats. He figured that she would handle herself just fine.

"Ah, Sona, is this your fiancée?" A brown haired woman that bore an uncanny resemblance to Rias asked as she approached them.

"No, he is just my boyfriend for now. But marriage is likely down the road." Sona reassured quickly, adding the second part immediately after.

"I see. And Serafall, are you dating this man as well?" A crimson haired man who looked exactly like a male version of Rias asked, walking up besides the woman.

"Of course, Sirzechs! Anyone that my adorable sister dates, I have to as well!" Serafall replied happily, making it clear that she was at least close to this person.

"Oh, Lelouch, you haven't met any of them before yet, have you? This is Lady Gremory, and this is Sirzechs Lucifer." Sona introduced, and Lelouch nodded to each in turn.

Sirzech's brow furrowed in confusion, "Lelouch? You wouldn't happen to be the same Lelouch who is working alongside my sister, would you?"

"Yes, I am." Lelouch replied, causing Sirzechs to smile and place a hand on his shoulder.

"Well, why didn't you say so? Rias has mentioned you quite a few times before. If I didn't know any better, I would have guessed that you two were dating as well. Unless of course, you are dating all of these girls and you are just using my precious sister." Sirzechs said with a malicious aura.

"Oh no. I have no intention of doing such a thing." Lelouch replied quickly, understanding the threat. It seemed that Sirzechs was as overbearing a sibling as Serafall was, much to his disappointment. So far, out of the Four Great Satans, two of them were simply overprotective siscons. Now he was beginning to understand exactly why the Devils had not won the conflict yet.

"Oh, so you don't have any intention of rescuing her from Riser either?" Sirzechs asked.

"Rescuing her? You mean you don't support this marriage?" Lelouch asked.

Sirzechs' mouth formed a small little smile as he looked Lelouch in the eye, "I wouldn't say that I don't support it, but I wouldn't be against someone calling it off."

Before he could continue any more, Lelouch saw a burst of flames in the center of the room. As it dissipated, the figure of Rias, along with a blond haired man that Lelouch assumed to be Riser appeared out of the flames. He instantly locked eyes with Rias, who was in a white wedding dress, and he could feel her eyes begging for help.

Suddenly, the blond haired man pulled Rias close to him and laughed. In response, Rias flinched for a moment before she closed her eyes and slightly dipped her forehead downwards in submission, a few stray hairs falling over her face.

"Everyone, I would like to thank you all for coming to the engagement between the Phenex and Gremory clans!" Riser announced, leading to scattered applause.

Lelouch remained still, not making any move at all to join the clapping, and he noticed that Sona and Serafall abstained as well.

"Now then, Lelouch, what are you going to do?" Sirzechs asked interestedly from behind him in a hushed whisper.

Understanding what the Satan's intention was, Lelouch took a deep breath before giving Sona an apologetic glance. He dropped his arms to his sides and stepped in front of Serafall and Sona, who both gave him a nod of approval.

"Are you okay with this?" Lelouch asked Sona.

She gave him a small smile, "Don't worry. I can't stand him either."

Relieved that she had not taken offense to the fact that he was intervening on the behalf of another woman, Lelouch pressed on, taking powerful and confident steps, boots clacking and epaulettes swaying with every step he took.

"So, you didn't tell Issei to come?" Sona asked Sirzechs, who shook his head.

"I've been watching this Lelouch for quite some time now, and I'm interested to see exactly what he's capable of." Sirzechs replied, completely focused on the scene in front of him, ready to intervene if necessary. Truth be told, although he had not met the man in person yet until this moment, he knew all too well who and what Lelouch was. And what Lelouch was could be a valuable asset to the Devils.

"Riser Phenex." Lelouch stated in an authoritative voice, garnering the Devil's attention, as well as that of Rias, who looked to him gratefully.

"Lelouch." She whispered quietly, and he could see relief wash over her face.

"Eh? What do you want?" Riser asked, already annoyed with the raven haired teen standing in front of him. He had the look of a general or officer of some sort, but Riser could not distinctly ever meeting him before.

With a completely serious face, Lelouch stared at the Devil, unnerving him, "I challenge you to a duel, for the hand of Rias Gremory. If I lose, I'll leave you two alone. However, if I win, this marriage is off."

"Who the hell do you think you are, coming to my engagement party and interrupting it so rudely?" Riser growled in anger.

"Now now, don't blame poor Lelouch here for wanting to marry my beautiful sister as well." Sirzechs interrupted, his comment bringing a blush to Rias' face.

"But I think that it would be a splendid idea for you to accept this duel, as a sort of demonstration of your devotion to my sister." Sirzechs added.

Realizing that he couldn't turn down an indirect order from Sirzechs, Riser nodded in understanding.

"Very well. I accept."

Sirzechs grinned and clapped his hands together, "Well then, I've already had the liberty of having an arena prepared before hand for such an event."

With a snap of his fingers, Lelouch and Riser both found themselves suddenly standing across from each other in the middle of a courtyard surrounded on all sides by large stone walls.

"Do you really think that you can actually defeat the immortal phoenix? I am still undefeated in Rating Games, and I am far stronger than your precious Rias." Riser said arrogantly.

"Partner, we cannot allow him to get away with an insult like that!" Kohryu stated angrily, furious at the arrogance of Riser.

"Don't worry, I'll have him on his knees, begging for life very soon." Lelouch reassured the Dragon, before he turned his attention to Riser, "I will make you feel pain."

As he said that, Riser saw a sudden change come over his eyes for a split second before it was gone and forgotten.

"Well? Let's begin." Riser said impatiently, lighting his hands on fire and flinging two fireballs at Lelouch.

Immediately, Lelouch ducked underneath the attack before he was burned, and returned the favor by firing off a powerful bolt of lightning, which struck Riser straight in the face. Expecting the man to cry out in pain, Lelouch was surprised when Riser had no reaction at all, instead continuing on with his assault of fireballs.

Taking a closer look, he saw that he had indeed seared off the man's face, but it was rapidly healing itself in a burst of flame.

"The power of the phoenix is healing his injuries." Kohryu informed Lelouch, who gritted his teeth in frustration. The fact that he was constantly healing himself would not be advantageous.

Still not dissuaded, Lelouch decided that his best choice was to engage Riser in hand to hand combat, utilizing the wind to push himself forward, dodging various attacks all the while.

Coming within range of the man, Lelouch ignited his fists and took a small swing at Riser, which was blocked by the Devil, who retaliated with a punch of his own, which Lelouch parried as well, knocking Riser's aside with little difficulty.

Trying to take advantage of Riser's arm, which was immobilized for the time being, Lelouch swung his left leg, connecting with Riser's side before he encased his right arm in ice and stabbed it forward, impaling the Devil.

However, once again, he found that his attack had really no effect on the Devil, who shrugged off the attack and shoved Lelouch backwards, forcing him to melt away the blade covering his arm.

"Haven't you learned yet? You cannot hurt me." Riser said confidently as his chest was engulfed in flames that melted away, revealing that it had fully healed.

Not content to give in at that, Lelouch loosened his collar before he charged forward again at Riser, who stood back, ready to counter whatever Lelouch had planned. He pointed his right hand forward, firing off a thick stream of shards of ice, causing Riser to counter with a wall of flame, and leaped up in the air, engulfing his body in purple flames that would have likely charred any other Devil and launching his body forward with a burst of air fired off from his hands, effectively turning himself into a flaming projectile.

He closed the gap quickly between him and Riser with his attack, and crashed into the Devil, sending both of them to the ground in a mess of limbs. The two struggled mightily with each other as they tumbled around, each gaining the upper hand for a moment before the other turned the tables on them.

"Get off of me!" Riser yelled, releasing an explosion of air that flung Lelouch skyward. Sensing weakness, two wings sprouted out of Riser's back and he flapped them vigorously to engage Lelouch mid air.

Feeling weightless and ethereal, Lelouch regained enough of his senses to manipulate the air around him until he was steadied, noticing that Riser was rapidly approaching. Placing his arms in front of him, Lelouch created a large wall of ice to stop the Devil for the time being.

However, Riser was not one to be stopped, and he quickly burst through the defense with a burst of flames that melted away the ice in an instant.

Meeting Lelouch midair, Riser reached out with a fist, swinging with surprising force considering he had no leverage to do so, which Lelouch dropped underneath, using his control over the wind to his advantage. From below the Devil, he shot his body forward, driving a fist straight into Riser's stomach, despite knowing that it would not do much in terms of damage.

His face hardened, and he focused intensely, sending an electrical current through his arm and straight into Riser's body. With a scream of agony as he felt electricity stab at him, Riser flailed around, managing to kick Lelouch in the face, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Riser frowned as he felt the pain stop and allowed himself to fall to the ground across from Lelouch, breathing heavily. Although it was true that he could heal from any wound and was effectively immortal, it didn't mean that he couldn't feel pain, especially when it came from an attack as powerful as the one he had just suffered.

And, although he didn't want to admit, throughout the whole duel, he had been feeling every one of Lelouch's attacks, for some odd reason. It was a highly unusual occurrence for him to be sensitive to so many attacks, but either something was very wrong with him, or Lelouch was just exceptionally powerful.

"You're starting to feel it, aren't you?" Lelouch asked as he picked himself off of the ground, dusting off some dirt on his shoulder.

"What did you do to me?" Riser replied, unable to understand why this Lelouch was so powerful, and yet, a complete unknown in the Underworld.

Lelouch grinned, "I gave you a command earlier, to 'feel pain' right before our match started. I know you've done an excellent job of hiding it so far, but now, it's completely visible to me."

Riser's eyes widened in shock.

"Now, I'll finish this battle." Lelouch stated, as Kohryu cackled in his mind.

"Now, that look on his face was truly a sight to see! Partner, you really are devious, aren't you?"

"I'm just doing what is necessary for victory. All the conditions have been met." Lelouch replied, once again encasing his arm in ice, but this time, adding the extra measure of sending an electrical current through the blade.

"Even so, I'll still kill you." Riser replied, preparing himself once more for combat.

Lelouch raised his free arm and instantly, Riser was surrounded on all sides by large blocks of ice that cleaved the ground and completely obscured his vision outside of the small radius inside the ice formation. He slowly circled around, ready for the attack that could come from any direction.

"Got you." He heard, and he looked up just in time to see Lelouch descend upon him and cut across his shoulder with his ice blade, shocking his entire arm. He lifted up his other arm to attack with a burst of fire, but had to time to respond as Lelouch hit him square in the chest with a projectile of air, sending him flying backwards into the ice wall behind him with enough force to make the frozen liquid crack a bit as his back met ice.

Instantly, Lelouch was upon him, slashing this way and that, inflicting painful gashes all over his body that healed quickly enough, only to be reopened by cut after cut of the electricity infused blade, shocking him while also sending a chill through his body.

However, he was not ready to give in at all, and was not about to suffer his first true defeat. With a roar, Riser unleashed a torrid explosion of flame from his body, completely melting the ice walls and sending Lelouch flying from the force of the impact.

"That's it, I've had enough!" Riser screamed, fire consuming his body almost entirely. His eyes were now completely white, body completely and utterly under the influence of the phoenix, giving Riser new strength to continue fighting with.

Lelouch groaned in pain as he felt the impact of being thrown back, and attempted to get to his feet, but found that his legs were jelly, completely drained by his extensive use of magic.

"Partner, this is a difficult situation." Kohryu reminded Lelouch, who nodded.

"Indeed it is." He replied, but still found himself unable to find the strength to continue moving.

Lelouch gritted his teeth as his thoughts began drifting towards Rias, and her desperate expression from before. She was going to end up married to this man, unless he could do something about it. However, the chance that he was going to come out on top was seeming less and less likely by the second.

Truth be told, he was grateful to Rias for what she had done for him thus far, and actually considered her to be his…friend. She had been the one to find him initially, and the one who had given him this new life. And now, it was his chance to repay her, if he could ever find the strength to get off the ground on which he currently lay, sprawled out.

"This is good indeed. It seems you have reached a state in which you can finally use at least some of the power bestowed upon you." Kohryu's voice sounded, and Lelouch suddenly felt a surge of power throughout his body, revitalizing him, specifically in his right hand, which was bathed in a warmness that instantly made Lelouch forget about all of his exhaustion.

He hoisted himself up, and looked down to his right hand to see that he suddenly possessed a ring that he could not recall ever seeing before on his ring finger. He lifted his hand up to his face, and saw that it was golden and made in the shape of a dragon wrapping itself around his finger, with the distinct appearance of being hornless.

"This is the Longinus Gear, the Ring of the Emperor, or Celestial Manipulate." Kohryu explained, "It grants you the absolute power of the king, meaning that you can shape the land to your desire through manipulation of quintessence. As you once said, you destroy and create worlds, and now, your desires have been realized through your strength of will, creating a weapon that can do such a thing."

Lelouch looked down at his hands, and nodded, feeling empowered at his newfound ability.

"Celestial Manipulate!" Lelouch shouted, and in response, his ring began glowing, and he could feel his vision suddenly become clearer. Beyond that, he now saw little specks of an unknown glowing material all around him, and a large amount of the material pooled inside of Riser's body.

Deciding that this must be the Quintessence that his Longinus Gear described, he focused on recalling the material, and found that it eagerly responded to his command, flying into his own body from every direction in the air, directly absorbing through his skin.

Lelouch could feel that he was actually feeling stronger, as more and more of the material flowed into his body, enriching his limbs with newfound strength.

Riser stomped forward, relishing the pain that he had seen in Lelouch's eyes as he tossed him backwards. However, as he watched the teen stand up, he could feel that something was completely different from before. It was as if he had been reborn in the middle of the fight, despite his battered appearance.

Even that did not last long, as he saw Lelouch's wounds on his face all suddenly close up, and instead, it seemed as if the teen was getting healthier, if anything. Despite the fact that he himself was an extremely powerful Devil, he instinctively took a step back as Lelouch was suddenly covered in a bright golden glow that burned his eyes just to look upon it, almost as if it was a heavenly light, although it had a different feel to it.

Lelouch pointed his right hand forward, completely energized by the presence of Quintessence in his body, and fired off a powerful stream of golden magic that struck Riser directly in the chest, causing him to stumble backwards a bit, even as his chest automatically healed itself.

Remembering Kohryu's word also described an ability to destroy, Lelouch decided to test out that aspect as well, focusing mainly on the essence that he could see inside of Riser's body. He pulled his hand back towards his body, and like puppets on a string, he could see shining material leave Riser's body, immediately extinguishing his flames and bringing him to his knees.

Deciding that he should absorb Riser's essence as well, Lelouch allowed it to assimilate with his skin and enter his body. However, immediately, something felt wrong as he did so. He could feel his entire body rejecting the Quintessence, and fell to the floor, hacking up blood as he did so.

"What's wrong with me?" He gasped as a fresh round of convulsions struck him.

"Your body cannot handle this amount of energy yet. You have to release it somehow!" Kohryu said urgently, and Lelouch weakly nodded. He lifted a hand towards Riser and released all of his energy, creating a huge bolt of golden lightning that smashed directly into Riser's weakened figure.

The Devil was knocked flat onto his back, screaming out in agony as the electricity rocked his body, twitching him this way and that, pain coursing through every fiber of his being, almost as if he had been hit with a million spears of light at once, or was bathing himself in a river of Holy Water, the electricity searing his skin and organs.

"Lelouch has been declared the victor!" Sirzechs hurriedly appeared in the middle of the battlefield, rushing over to Riser's side to directly intervene with the damage that had been dealt to the Devil. It was not too serious of a situation, as Riser was still an immortal individual, but still, the way that the blond was screaming out wasn't the best indication.

He quickly grasped his hand and focused on draining out some of the energy left over from the attack that had brought Riser to this state, absorbing some of the magic that Lelouch had fired off, finding it to be of a much higher power register than most electrical attacks, almost as if it had been infused with another element. This was a very curious development indeed.

"Brother!" A young blond haired girl in a pink dress cried out, joining Sirzechs' side as she shot a glare at Lelouch, who barely managed to get to his feet, wiping a bit of blood off of the side of his mouth. He didn't need to look in the mirror to know that he probably looked like crap, with his hair caked with dust, face covered with blood splatters, and his once spotless officer's uniform now torn in several places and completely covered with an assortment of dirt and blood.

"Ravel, give him room to breathe." Sirzechs advised, standing up and stepping back to allow Riser to regain a normal breathing rate and pulse.

"That was just a normal attack, right? There is no way anyone could have hurt Big Brother like this, at least, not any normal Devil." Ravel observed, turning her head once more to stare fearfully at Lelouch.

"Who are you?"

Before Lelouch could respond, Sirzechs snapped his fingers, and suddenly, they were back in the ballroom, standing in the middle of a stunned crowd that had just witnessed an improbable outcome to a fight that had a foregone conclusion, at least, initially.

"Answer me, who are you? No normal Devil could do this to my brother." Ravel repeated her question, causing Lelouch to clear his throat, realizing that all eyes were on him.

"My name is Lelouch, and I am the human host of Kohryu, the Heavenly Dragon of the Center." He stated slowly and clearly, realizing the outrage that his words were about to create.

"A human?"

"The Phenex son was defeated by a mere human?"

"How did he get to the Underworld?"

Lelouch heard whispers all around him, from all of the occupants of the room, except for those who knew him personally.

Noticing Sona and Serafall in the middle of the crowd, he took a confident step forward, noticing that the Devils all recoiled from his presence, save for Sona and Serafall.

"Now now, don't be so afraid of Lelouch here." Sirzechs said from behind him, placing a protective hand on Lelouch's shoulder.

"Sirzechs, you approve of the presence of a human in our midst?" A red haired man who Lelouch assumed to be Lord Gremory asked.

Sirzechs nodded, "Of course. He is our ally, not our enemy. As you all know, a Fallen Angel function was disrupted by an unknown presence a few months ago. Lelouch here was that unknown presence."

Upon hearing Sirzechs' words, some of the more intrepid Devils stepped forward once more, not quite as afraid as before. After all, if he was an enemy of the Fallen Angels, he couldn't be that bad, right?

"Grayfia, we should probably get Riser out of here." Sirzechs whispered to his wife, who nodded in agreement and set out to do her task of removing Riser from the grounds.

"Lelouch!"

Lelouch turned to the source of the voice, which was Rias, who was now staring at him with tears in her eyes.

"Rias?" He asked in a confused tone before she ran up to him and buried herself in his chest, hugging him tightly.

"You risked your life for me." She told him, and he awkwardly nodded.

"Well, I didn't really have a choice." He said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Partner, it seems you are quite popular with the women, aren't you?" Kohryu cackled in joy.

"Shut up." Lelouch snapped at the voice, turning his attention back to Rias, who looked content to continue snuggling up to him, despite the fact that they were in public.

For her part, Rias couldn't help but to feel a deep gratitude towards Lelouch. Although she had never asked him to, he had saved her from a marriage that she wanted absolutely no part of. Beyond that, the way he was dressed in the moment only managed to accentuate his charm and handsome looks, making him seem just like some Devil war hero that had come to rescue her.

Sure, she was an independent woman, but she would be lying if she said that she had never dreamed of such a thing.

"So, Lelouch, since you did defeat Rias' fiancé, you wouldn't happen to be interested in marry my dear sister, would you?" Sirzechs asked hopefully, before being struck on the head by a glittering wand.

"No fair! Sirzechs, you can't just take my and Sona's boyfriend like that!" Serafall complained, pouting as she did so.

"Lelouch, is there something you would like to tell me?" Sona asked angrily, though it was still in a relatively calm voice. She definitely wasn't happy at all to see her boyfriend being felt up by another woman, and not choosing to do anything about it.

"Please Sona, this isn't what it looks like!" Lelouch insisted as Rias finally loosened her grip on him. At this, she couldn't help but to feel a pain stabbing at her heart. To be reminded of the fact that Lelouch had come to the Underworld for the specific reason of spending time with Sona and not her made her feel strangely upset.

Obviously, she was angry that Sona was trying to steal a powerful ally from her, but there was something far more important to her, although she didn't exactly understand what it was. Was it…jealousy?

No! There was no way that she was jealous of Sona, because that would imply that she cared for Lelouch in a way that transcended friendship, and there was no way that she could feel that way about him, right?

"Sorry, I'm just a bit affectionate. It's a problem for members of my clan." Rias explained, which Sirzechs nodded in agreement with.

"But can you blame Lelouch? After all, my sister is the most beautiful Young Devil in the entire Underworld." He said proudly, to which Serafall shook her head.

"Ahem, I think you mean that my Sona is the most beautiful Young Devil in the entire Underworld." Serafall retorted.

As he watched the two duel off on the behalf of their respective sisters, who were both looking away in embarrassment, Lelouch was suddenly beset on both sides by Jeremiah and Shirley, who wore varying expressions ranging from indifference and joy.

"Master Lelouch, you really did well out there to activate your Sacred Gear." Jeremiah said, a smile plastered on his face. He really was proud of Lelouch for somehow finding the kind of motivation that broke through one of the seals placed on him that had hidden his Sacred Gear until it was ready to be released.

"Yes, you did well." Shirley admitted begrudgingly, refusing to meet Lelouch's line of sight. She was still confused, to say the least, about where she stood with Lelouch. If what Jeremiah had told her was true, then it meant that she actually had a crush on him, but that was ridiculous.

Shirley shook her head, completely squashing the thought. She couldn't think of something like that, not when there were so many things to be done. Her father was still a captive of the Fallen Angels, and they were only marginally closer to their original goal of rescuing him than they were a few months ago.

"Shirley, are you okay?" Lelouch asked, leading her to nod quickly in response.

"I have some things I need to take care of." She said quickly pushing past Lelouch and melting into the crowd of the party, which was in the process of prematurely ending, in light of the fact that the host was in a critical state as a result of a duel.

"Say, how did you guys end up here in the first place?" Lelouch asked Jeremiah, as he had stayed put, unlike Shirley.

"Well, Shirley and I came along with the Occult Research Club, minus Issei, who is still recovering from some wounds that were inflicted on him by Riser during the Rating Game earlier this week. Master Genbu declined, but Raynare should be around here as well." Jeremiah informed him.

"Also, as for the status report you requested, Raynare is still making steady progress, and she seems to be accepting her role as a potential member of the Geass Order." He continued, causing Lelouch to glance around quickly to find the Fallen Angel, spotting her standing outside of the main ballroom on a balcony.

"Raynare, what are you doing out here?" Lelouch asked, walking out behind her on the balcony, appreciating the cool air that licked his skin.

"Oh, Lelouch." Raynare greeted, barely acknowledging him, in a completely different tone that he wasn't used to.

"Raynare, what's bothering you?" Lelouch asked.

"Lelouch, do you hate me?" Raynare asked frankly, and Lelouch's eyes widened at the bluntness of the question.

"Of course not, what makes you say that?" Lelouch replied.

"Back in there, when Sirzechs mentioned that you fought against the Fallen Angels, all of them suddenly accepted your presence. It just reminded me of how hated we are by some other factions, so I wouldn't be surprised if you felt the same way too." Raynare admitted, continuing to look away from him.

"But I don't want you to hate me. You were the only person who has ever cared for me. Sure, I had the other Fallen Angels, but none of them ever truly cared about me, like you did when you saved my life. When that happened, I don't know what happened to me. I think…I think I fell in love with you. But witnessing what happened here today made me realize how stupid I was, to think that you could ever feel the same about me.

I was just deluding myself, and I tried to see things that weren't ever there. All I want is for someone to love me, is that too much to ask? I fell from Heaven because of that, and even so, I still haven't found what I've been looking for. Why is it that everyone can find their happiness but me?" Raynare said with tears in her eyes.

Lelouch took in Raynare's impassioned words and nodded in agreement.

"I wouldn't say that I'm exactly accepted by everyone either. I'm a human, after all. I'm probably hated by just as many people as you are. We're both outsiders." He replied softly.

As he did, he saw a glimmer of hope cross through Raynare's eyes, and internally, he smiled at the response he had elicited.

"Then please, can you just tell me that you love me? It doesn't really have to be true or mean anything, but I just want to hear it from your mouth." Raynare begged, wrapping her arms around Lelouch's frame and pulling herself close to him.

"I love you." Lelouch whispered low enough so that only she could hear it, and Raynare swore she was in heaven, even if it wasn't real. He was just lying, she knew, but if she could just pretend that maybe he wasn't, and that he meant those words from the heart, then maybe she would find some hope to carry on for.

Meanwhile, Lelouch gently placed his own arms around Raynare's shoulders, softly cradling her in his arms. He did feel bad for manipulating her feelings this way, but it was something that had to be done. She was a part of his plans, and he needed total loyalty, any way it came.

So why did it make him feel so horrible?

If you guys are wondering what I envisioned Lelouch to be dressed in, think like a navy uniform or something. He's kind of also dressed a bit like Robert E. Lee, another great leader of men in history, much like Lelouch has the potential to become. Anyways, just so you guys get a better idea of what Lelouch's Longinus is all about, let me explain a bit about what it encompasses.

Quintessence is known as kind of the "fifth element," according to Greek and Chinese belief, and is represented by the Huanglong, also known as Kohryu, also known as the Yellow Dragon of the Center. It kind of goes beyond normal elements like fire or water, and is thought to be more related to the heavens and gods, which explains why it would be so damaging to someone like Riser, a Devil, as it is, in a way, a holy element that would predictably cause more damage to a Devil, who is weak to holy attacks. I will elaborate more on the workings and abilities of Celestial Manipulate later on, but I just wanted you guys to have some understanding of what it is. What do you guys think of my interpretation of a new Sacred Gear? If you guys have any suggestions and improvements to make on it, please, let me know in a review or PM.

Also, I'm sorry to anyone who was expecting more Akeno romance, but I think that Raynare needs some now and then too. She really is a more complex character than she initially seems, at least in my opinion, and all she really wants is the approval or love of someone, more than power, more than strength. Power and strength to her are more of an ends to a means than actual goals. She believes that through acquiring those things, she will be beloved and receive the attention and love she has always desired, or at least, that's how I always saw her.

Beyond that, feel free to leave any thoughts you guys have, either in the form of a review or PM! I really appreciate any and all thoughts I get, so please, keep them coming!